Truth and
Objectivity and
Chicano History
An Article by Dr. Adolfo F. Acuna
Contents
 Objectivity in Chicano History
 The Myth and Truth of Objectivity
 Who’s Truth?
 Truth an Objectivity and Moral History
 Choices
 Conclusion
Objectivity in Chicano History
 Dr. Acuna explains the fallacies behind teaching and learning
Chicano history.
 He is disappointed with other scholars and their take on
Chicano studies through his education but is taught to respect
it by his colleagues
 Learning a subject such as history is taken seriously by
scholars but Chicano History is considered to be “lacking a
consistent theoretical framework”
 History is not an “objective moral truth” .History represents
a point of view.
Objectivity in Chicano History
 The historian is necessarily selective:
 “The historian’s life experiences play a determine role
in their selection of facts which may prevent him or
her from understanding the truth of others”
 The historian is given fact on history to teach his/her
students. It is up to the historian on how to present
them and from which side to teach from. This has
created strife in Asian American studies, Latino
studies, and African American studies.
Objectivity in Chicano History
 What is Chicano History?
 Chicano history and Chicano studies differ in that they are the
study of facts and the study of the working class and current
situation.
 The development of Chicano studies is seen as flawed and the
reason why it is not taken seriously. Dr. Acuna points out the study
is confrontational.
 It is believed the surname makes a Chicano studies expert an
expert but it is in fact the ability to get his or her feet “wet” so to
speak.
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Interaction with working class
Ability to speak spanish
Ability to identify with the struggle of the middle class
Ability to break away from eurocentrism
The Myth of Truth and Objectivity
 Dr. Acuna speaks out about the action to not hire him by the
University of California Santa Barbara and its scholars that
regarded his studies as being “too political”
 The truth is obscured by the objectivity of the scholars being
hired.
 History is controlled by the Eurocentric society and by the
people that educate our youth.
 This is the way our youth is educated and it is how we learn.
http://progressive.org/rodolfo-acuna
Truth and Objectivity and Moral
Authority
 Part of then reason why we study history is so we can
learn about our future… this is what most historians tell
us.
 Cultural revolution is always taking place in the Chicano
scholars studies, this is what is constantly changing in the
study.
 Without Chicano studies we cannot learn about our past
and our present.
 There has always been resistance to the learning of
different culture because knowledge breeds power.
Truth and Objectivity and Moral
Authority
 Dr. Acuna is an advocate for the learning and education of
Chicano studies because as he puts it “history has not stood
still since the 1950’s” there is still miscommunication and
ignorance for different races that are not anglo-saxon.
 The video shown on the next slide remarks on what taking
away multicultural education will do to our youth:
Protest of Ethnic Studies Closure
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/12/29/tucson_orders
_closure_of_mexican_american
Truth and Objectivity and Moral
Authority
 As of now there is resistance to the learning of
Chicano culture this has brought on a whole new
type of protest with Dr. Acuna speaking as an
advocate for the education of Chicanos and ethnic
studies
 There are magazines and blogs circulating against
the resistance to ban the education of our youth
in ethnic studies.
Choices
 Scholars most often seek the path of least
resistance because they do not look to protest but
to be scholars
 Dr. Acuna speaks our against the injustices of the
uneducated chicanos because he is once of the
voices for the youth
 He reiterates how he chooses a path of resistance
in order to fight for what he thinks is the correct
way of education and truth.
Conclusion
 Dr. Acuna goes on to talk about a scholar that has spoken our
about the education of specifically Chicano studies.
 That it seems as if it is a biased study and is breeding
discrimination.
 It seems like a consensus within the Chicano community that
universities that are as diverse as Arizona or even CSUN have
a right to teach and make sure everyone is educated on the
culture they want to be educated on regardless of race.
Chicano Movement
 http://mexmigration.blogspot.com/?view=magazine
 This is a magazine/ blog that reiterates all of the injustices
done to the chicano community and how by peaceful and
loud protest we can change it.
The silence of the education system
Sources
 http://www.jsri.msu.edu/upload/occasional-
papers/oc09.pdf